House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing, "For the purpose of receiving testimony from The Honorable Brooke L. Rollins, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture."
Remarks as prepared:
Good morning, everyone. I would like to welcome you all to today’s hearing and extend a special thanks to the Honorable Brooke Rollins for joining us for her first appearance before this Committee as our 33rd Secretary of Agriculture.
I’m proud to call her a friend and deeply appreciative of the leadership she has shown in just a few short months on the job. Madam Secretary, we’re truly grateful to have you with us today.
This Committee is dedicated to the prosperity and long-term sustainability of rural America. Our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are the fundamental piece of America’s number one industry, which clothes and feeds millions of American families, and billions around the world.
That is why Congress came together at the end of last year to provide meaningful relief with $21 billion to address weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024, and another $10 billion to help offset sustained economic losses impacting producers.
I’m grateful to Secretary Rollins for the work she has done and will continue to do to get those dollars out the door and ensure help reaches the producers who need it most.
Largely thanks to these investments and a renewed emphasis on expanding global markets, recent USDA forecasts show net farm income stabilizing for 2025. Those dollars, while not enough to make producers whole, were enough for many to keep the lights on and obtain credit to farm another year.
However, input costs remain high, commodity prices continue to soften and forecast margins, working capital, and debt loads continue to deteriorate.
Our work to support America’s farmers and ranchers is not yet complete.
Over the past several years, the producers we represent have withstood an unprecedented mix of adversity: a global pandemic, record inflation, supply chain disruptions, animal disease, and natural disasters.
And yet, they’ve continued to deliver the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply in the world. That’s not something we take for granted. It is something we must support—through sound policy, stable markets, and a strong USDA.
That said, we have plenty to discuss this morning, Madam Secretary. We're eager to hear your plans to make USDA more efficient, particularly as it relates to reorganization efforts and ensuring there is not a disruption to customer service. We’re also interested in your strategy to support producers with today’s challenging trade environment and animal health risks.
As you and the President work to lower barriers and open new markets and we navigate these issues together, I trust you'll continue to keep the interests of American agriculture front and center.
We are turning the page to a new chapter for American agriculture — one where new scientific breakthroughs and technology will work hand-in-hand with tradition, stewardship, and grit to address the challenges at hand and build on the legacy of resilience and innovation driven by our farmers and ranchers.
As part of that new chapter, it is incumbent on Congress to do our job. The One Big Beautiful Bill is a critical down payment on meaningful change for America — but it’s just the beginning.
We must also deliver a full farm bill reauthorization that provides certainty and long-term support for our producers.
Once we complete the reconciliation process, we will build on that foundation with a comprehensive farm bill later this year.
Secretary Rollins, I know that you bring to this role a deep belief in the power of rural America and the American farmer.
We share that belief. I know we are aligned in our commitment to the people in this country who produce as well as those who consume.
As we begin this conversation today, I want to underscore my hope—and expectation—that the relationship between this Committee and the Department of Agriculture will be a strong, productive partnership.
The future of our food system, our environment, and our economy depends on it.
With that, I thank you again, Secretary Rollins, for your service and your testimony. I now yield to Ranking Member Craig from the great state of Minnesota for her opening remarks.
